Virginia Tech will train engineers on QNX Technology in new partnership with BlackBerry

A new partnership announced today at the BlackBerry Security Summit sees BlackBerry and Virginia Tech team up to train engineers on BlackBerry QNX technology. As part of the partnership, BlackBerry has provided QNX technology for use in Virginia Tech's autonomous vehicle concept cars that are competing in the international AutoDrive Challenge.

"As the world advances towards a driverless future, the need for engineers who specialize in safety-certified software has never been more important," said Grant Courville, VP of Product Management at BlackBerry QNX. "Virginia Tech has a well-earned reputation for developing engineers who can make an immediate impact. We're thrilled to bolster their already impressive program by providing students with cutting-edge knowledge and tools that will allow them to solve real industry problems and to innovate as the evolution of connected and autonomous vehicles shifts into high gear."

"It is important that our students know what's happening on the front lines of the connected and autonomous vehicle industry and our partnership with BlackBerry helps by giving them access to the latest automotive-grade software," said Al Wicks, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. "My goal is to get our students to a place where they are industry-ready with real experience to offer to an employer. With BlackBerry QNX's help, there is no question that together we will achieve this, setting the next generation up with the tools they need to shape the future of transportation for drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike."

On top of the support for the AutoDrive Challenge, BlackBerry will also be providing hands-on training to Virginia Tech's Department of Mechanical Engineering and assist with their connected and autonomous vehicle research. The full details can be found below.

NEW YORK – October 4, 2018 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and Virginia Tech announced today that they are partnering to educate the mechanical engineers of tomorrow on BlackBerry QNX technology – the leading safety-certified, secure and reliable software for connected and autonomous cars.

As part of the agreement, BlackBerry will help advance the Department of Mechanical Engineering's connected and autonomous vehicle research and provide hands-on training with BlackBerry QNX software. Additionally, BlackBerry has provided its QNX technology for use in Virginia Tech's autonomous vehicle concept cars which are competing in the international AutoDrive Challenge under the Team Victor Tango banner.

"As the world advances towards a driverless future, the need for engineers who specialize in safety-certified software has never been more important," said Grant Courville, VP of Product Management at BlackBerry QNX. "Virginia Tech has a well-earned reputation for developing engineers who can make an immediate impact. We're thrilled to bolster their already impressive program by providing students with cutting-edge knowledge and tools that will allow them to solve real industry problems and to innovate as the evolution of connected and autonomous vehicles shifts into high gear."

"It is important that our students know what's happening on the front lines of the connected and autonomous vehicle industry and our partnership with BlackBerry helps by giving them access to the latest automotive-grade software," said Al Wicks, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. "My goal is to get our students to a place where they are industry-ready with real experience to offer to an employer. With BlackBerry QNX's help, there is no question that together we will achieve this, setting the next generation up with the tools they need to shape the future of transportation for drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike."

Virginia Tech's engineering programs represented by the AutoDrive competition team, trains students in all aspects of connected and autonomous vehicle engineering and development. Courses include Mechatronics, Computer Vision, Robot Motion Planning and Machine Learning. In response to the DARPA challenges, Virginia Tech began research into ground vehicle autonomy in 2003 and since then many students have gone on to senior positions within the automotive industry including for companies such as TORC Robotics, Uber, Google, GM and Argo AI.

BlackBerry QNX provides OEMs around the world with state-of-the-art technology to protect hardware, software, applications and end-to-end systems from cyberattacks. BlackBerry QNX's pedigree in safety, security and continued innovation has led to its technology being embedded in more than 120 million vehicles on the road today, as well as recent automotive design wins with Baidu, Delphi, Denso, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Visteon, Jaguar Land Rover, BYTON and others.

For more information on BlackBerry's products and services for the automotive industry, please visit www.BlackBerry.com. For more information on Virginia Tech visit www.vt.edu.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is an enterprise software and services company focused on securing and managing IoT endpoints. The company does this with BlackBerry® Secure™, an end-to-end Enterprise of Things platform, comprised of its enterprise communication and collaboration software and safety-certified embedded solutions. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company was founded in 1984 and operates in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East, Latin America and Africa. The Company trades under the ticker symbol "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.